Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus for cutting a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer, and more particularly to a mounting mechanism for a cutting blade in the cutting apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
A plurality of devices such as ICs and LSIs are respectively formed in a plurality of separate regions as defined by a plurality of division lines on the front side of a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer thus having the plural devices is divided into individual device chips by using a cutting apparatus having a cutting blade. The device chips are widely used in various electric equipment such as mobile phones and personal computers. The cutting apparatus includes a chuck table for holding a workpiece, cutting means for cutting the workpiece held on the chuck table, and feeding means for relatively feeding the chuck table and the cutting means, whereby the workpiece such as a wafer can be divided into the individual device chips with high accuracy.
The cutting means includes a spindle adapted to be rotationally driven by a motor, a spindle housing for rotatably supporting the spindle, a support flange mounted on the front end portion of the spindle, a cutting blade detachably supported to the support flange, and a fixing flange for fixing the cutting blade supported to the support flange. The support flange has a boss portion adapted to be inserted through a central opening of the cutting blade, a flange portion formed integrally with the outer circumference of the boss portion for supporting one side surface of the cutting blade, and an external screw thread formed at the front end of the boss portion, wherein the cutting blade and the fixing flange (pressing flange) are fitted to the boss portion of the support flange and a nut is threadedly engaged with the external screw thread of the boss portion of the support flange until tightened, thereby firmly holding the cutting blade between the support flange and the fixing flange (see Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 11-33907, for example).